Backname

Backname is a DNS server that gives every IP address its very own domain:

• 142.250.147.138.backname.io resolves to 142.250.147.138
  IPv4 with dots
• 127-0-0-1.backname.io resolves to 127.0.0.1
  IPv4 with dashes
• 2a00.1450.401b.810.0.0.0.200e.backname.io resolves to 2a00:1450:401b:810::200e
  IPv6 with dots
• 0--1.backname.io resolves to ::1
  IPv6 with dashes

The service is live publicly and for free over at backname.io, but feel free to host your own instance if you wish.

Self-hosting

Hosting Backname yourself is easy with docker compose.

The only prerequisite: a Linux server instance with a public IPv4 address attached, and with git + docker compose installed.

With the server instance ready, follow the steps below:

1. Get Backname onto your disk, e.g. in your home directory (~):

   git clone https://github.com/Twixes/backname.git

2. Enter the backname directory:

   cd backname

3. Use your favorite text editor to create the .env file storing configuration:

   nano .env

   This file must follow the format below. Only ZONE and NAMESERVER_A are required for operation:

   # The domain name under which Backname will be running (real-world example: backname.io)
   ZONE=your-backname-domain.com
   # The public IPv4 address of this server hosting Backname (in a dual-server setup, two comma-separated addresses)
   NAMESERVER_A=123.123.123.123
   # Optional: The public IPv6 address of this server hosting Backname, if supporting IPv6 (in a dual-server setup, two comma-separated addresses)
   NAMESERVER_AAAA=
   # Optional: Website A and/or AAAA records that will be served for your-backname-domain.com + www.your-backname-domain.com (comma-separated)
   WEBSITE_A=
   WEBSITE_AAAA=
   # Optional: TXT record values server at the root of the zone (comma-separated), if needed for e.g. domain verification
   ROOT_TXT=
   # Optional: IP addresses blocked from receiving a backname (comma-separated), if seeing problematic usage
   BLOCKLIST=

   Once done, save the .env file.

4. Start the Backname server:

   docker compose up -d

   In older versions of Docker, the command may be docker-compose with a hyphen.

5. Verify that startup succeeded:

   docker compose logs

   You should be seeing DNS server listening on :53 at the very top. If that is the case, the Backname server is now ready to process DNS queries!

6. The final step is to configure your domain (ZONE) to use this server for its own DNS resolution:

   1. Go to your domain registrar's DNS settings for the domain.

   2. Set the domain's nameservers to:

      alpha.your-backname-domain.com
      

      Dual-server setup

      alpha.your-backname-domain.com
      omega.your-backname-domain.com
      

      Do not change try to change these subdomains from alpha and omega to something else – they are hard-coded.

   3. Also set glue records so that the nameservers can be found initially:

      alpha.your-backname-domain.com → value of NAMESERVER_A
      

      If supporting IPv6:

      alpha.your-backname-domain.com → value of NAMESERVER_A
      alpha.your-backname-domain.com → value of NAMESERVER_AAAA
      

      Dual-server setup

      IPv4-only

      alpha.your-backname-domain.com → first value in NAMESERVER_A
      omega.your-backname-domain.com → second value in NAMESERVER_A
      

      IPv4 + IPv6

      alpha.your-backname-domain.com → first value in NAMESERVER_A
      alpha.your-backname-domain.com → first value in NAMESERVER_AAAA
      omega.your-backname-domain.com → second value in NAMESERVER_A
      omega.your-backname-domain.com → second value in NAMESERVER_AAAA
      

7. Now wait for DNS propagation to complete. It can be quick but may take up to 48 hours.

   Use dig NS your-backname-domain.com to check the status of propagation. Once this command returns alpha.your-backname-domain.co – your Backname DNS is operational!

Achieving high availability

For redundancy, you should host two Backname instances in different data centers. In that case everything stays the same, except that NAMESERVER_A (and optionally NAMESERVER_AAAA too) contains two comma-separated IP address values, rather than just one (refer to "dual-server setup" annotations in the steps above).